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THE MOONSTONE
select committee; and Imention the Society here, because my
precious and admirable friend,Mr. Godfrey Ablewhite, was associated with our work of moral andmaterial usefulness. I had
expected to see him in the boardroom, onthe Monday evening
of which I am now writing, and had proposed totell him, when
we met, of dear Aunt Verinder's arrival in London.To my
great disappointment he never appeared. On my expressing
afeeling of surprise at his absence, my sisters of the Committee alllooked up together from their trousers (we had a great
pressure ofbusiness that night), and asked in amazement, if
I had not heardthe news. I acknowledged my ignorance, and
was then told, for thefi rst time, of an event which forms, so
to speak, thestarting-point of this narrative. On the previous
Friday, twogentlemen – occupying widely-different positions
in society – had beenthe victims of an outrage which had startled all London. One of thegentlemen was Mr. Septimus Luker,
of Lambeth. The other was Mr.Godfrey Ablewhite.
Living in my present isolation, I have no means of introducingthe newspaper-account of the outrage into my narrative. I was alsodeprived, at the time, of the inestimable advantage of hearing theevents related by the fervid eloquence of
Mr. Godfrey Ablewhite.All I can do is to state the facts as they
were stated, on thatMonday evening, to me; proceeding on the
plan which I have beentaught from infancy to adopt in folding
up my clothes. Everythingshall be put neatly, and everything
shall be put in its place.These lines are written by a poor weak
woman. From a poor weakwoman who will be cruel enough to
expect more?
The date – thanks to my dear parents, no dictionary that
ever waswritten can be more particular than I am about dates
– was Friday,June 30th, 1848.
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WILKIE COLLINS
Early on that memorable day, our gifted Mr. Godfrey happened tobe cashing a cheque at a banking-house in Lombard
Street. The nameof the fi rm is accidentally blotted in my diary,
and my sacredregard for truth forbids me to hazard a guess in
a matter of thiskind. Fortunately, the name of the fi rm doesn't
matter. What doesmatter is a circumstance that occurred
when Mr. Godfrey hadtransacted his business. On gaining the
door, he encountered agentleman – a perfect stranger to him
– who was accidentally leavingthe offi ce exactly at the same
time as himself. A momentary contestof politeness ensued between them as to who should be the fi rst topass through the
door of the bank. The stranger insisted on makingMr. Godfrey
precede him; Mr. Godfrey said a few civil words; theybowed,
and parted in the street.
Thoughtless and superfi cial people may say, Here is surely
avery trumpery little incident related in an absurdly circumstantialmanner. Oh, my young friends and fellow-sinners!
beware ofpresuming to exercise your poor carnal reason. Oh,
be morally tidy.Let your faith be as your stockings, and your
stockings as yourfaith. Both ever spotless, and both ready to
put on at a moment'snotice!
I beg a thousand pardons. I have fallen insensibly into mySunday-school style. Most inappropriate in such a record as
this.Let me try to be worldly – let me say that trifl es, in this
case asin many others, led to terrible results. Merely premising that thepolite stranger was Mr. Luker, of Lambeth, we will
now follow Mr.Godfrey home to his residence at Kilburn.
He found waiting for him, in the hall, a poorly clad butdelicate and interesting-looking little boy. The boy handed him
aletter, merely mentioning that he had been entrusted with
it by anold lady whom he did not know, and who had given
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him noinstructions to wait for an answer. Such incidents as
these werenot uncommon in Mr. Godfrey's large experience
as a promoter ofpublic charities. He let the boy go, and opened
the letter.
The handwriting was entirely unfamiliar to him. It requested hisattendance, within an hour's time, at a house in
NorthumberlandStreet, Strand, which he had never had occasion to enter before.The object sought was to obtain from
the worthy manager certaindetails on the subject of theMothers'-Small-Clothes-Conversion-Society, and the information
waswanted by an elderly lady who proposed adding largely to
theresources of the charity, if her questions were met by satisfactoryreplies. She mentioned her name, and she added that
the shortnessof her stay in London prevented her from giving
any longer noticeto the eminent philanthropist whom she addressed.
Ordinary people might have hesitated before setting aside
theirown engagements to suit the convenience of a stranger.
TheChristian Hero never hesitates where good is to be done.
Mr.Godfrey instantly turned back, and proceeded to the house
inNorthumberland Street. A most respectable though somewhat corpulentman answered the door, and, on hearing Mr.
Godfrey's name,immediately conducted him into an empty
apartment at the back, onthe drawing-room fl oor. He noticed
two unusual things on enteringthe room. One of them was a
faint odour of musk and camphor. Theother was an ancient
Oriental manuscript, richly illuminated withIndian fi gures
and devices, that lay open to inspection on atable.
He was looking at the book, the position of which caused
him tostand with his back turned towards the closed folding
doorscommunicating with the front room, when, without the
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WILKIE COLLINS
slightestprevious noise to warn him, he felt himself suddenly
seized roundthe neck from behind. He had just time to notice
that the arm roundhis neck was naked and of a tawny-brown
colour, before his eyeswere bandaged, his mouth was gagged,
and he was thrown helpless onthe fl oor by (as he judged) two
men. A third rifl ed his pockets,and – if, as a lady, I may venture
to use such an expression – searchedhim, without ceremony,
through and through to his skin.
Here I should greatly enjoy saying a few cheering words on
thedevout confi dence which could alone have sustained Mr.
Godfrey inan emergency so terrible as this. Perhaps, however,
the positionand appearance of my admirable friend at the culminating period ofthe outrage (as above described) are hardly
within the properlimits of female discussion. Let me pass over
the next few moments,and return to Mr. Godfrey at the time
when the odious search of hisperson had been completed.
The outrage had been perpetratedthroughout in dead silence.
At the end of it some words wereexchanged, among the invisible wretches, in a language which he didnot understand,
but in tones which were plainly expressive (to hiscultivated
ear) of disappointment and rage. He was suddenly liftedfrom
the ground, placed in a chair, and bound there hand and foot.
The next moment he felt the air fl owing in from the open
door,listened, and concluded that he was alone again in the
room.
An interval elapsed, and he heard a sound below like
therustling sound of a woman's dress. It advanced up the stairs,
andstopped. A female scream rent the atmosphere of guilt. A
man'svoice below exclaimed «Hullo!» A man's feet ascended
the stairs.Mr. Godfrey felt Christian fi ngers unfastening his
bandage, andextracting his gag. He looked in amazement at
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two respectablestrangers, and faintly articulated, «What does
it mean?» The tworespectable strangers looked back, and said,
«Exactly the questionwe were going to ask YOU.»
The inevitable explanation followed. No! Let me be scrupulouslyparticular. Sal volatile and water followed, to compose
dear Mr. Godfrey's nerves. The explanation came next.
It appeared from the statement of the landlord and landlady ofthe house (persons of good repute in the neighbourhood),
that theirfi rst and second fl oor apartments had been engaged,
on the previousday, for a week certain, by a most respectablelookinggentleman – the same who has been already described
as answering thedoor to Mr. Godfrey's knock. The gentleman
had paid the week's rentand all the week's extras in advance,
stating that the apartmentswere wanted for three Oriental noblemen, friends of his, who werevisiting England for the fi rst
time. Early on the morning of theoutrage, two of the Oriental strangers, accompanied by theirrespectable English friend,
took possession of the apartments. Thethird was expected to
join them shortly; and the luggage (reportedas very bulky) was
announced to follow when it had passed throughthe Customhouse, late in the afternoon. Not more than ten minutesprevious to Mr. Godfrey's visit, the third foreigner had arrived.
Nothing out of the common had happened, to the knowledge
of thelandlord and landlady down-stairs, until within the last
fi veminutes – when they had seen the three foreigners, accompanied bytheir respectable English friend, all leave the
house together,walking quietly in the direction of the Strand.
Remembering that avisitor had called, and not having seen
the visitor also leave thehouse, the landlady had thought it
rather strange that thegentleman should be left by himself
up-stairs. After a shortdiscussion with her husband, she had
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WILKIE COLLINS
considered it advisable toascertain whether anything was
wrong. The result had followed, as Ihave already attempted to
describe it; and there the explanation ofthe landlord and the
landlady came to an end.
An investigation was next made in the room. Dear Mr.
Godfrey'sproperty was found scattered in all directions. When
the articleswere collected, however, nothing was missing; his
watch, chain,purse, keys, pocket-handkerchief, note-book, and
all his loosepapers had been closely examined, and had then
been left unharmedto be resumed by the owner. In the same
way, not the smallestmorsel of property belonging to the proprietors of the house hadbeen abstracted. The Oriental noblemen had removed their ownilluminated manuscript, and had
removed nothing else.
What did it mean? Taking the worldly point of view, it
appearedto mean that Mr. Godfrey had been the victim of
someincomprehensible error, committed by certain unknown
men. A darkconspiracy was on foot in the midst of us; and our
beloved andinnocent friend had been entangled in its meshes. When theChristian hero of a hundred charitable victories
plunges into apitfall that has been dug for him by mistake, oh,
what a warning itis to the rest of us to be unceasingly on our
guard! How soon mayour own evil passions prove to be Oriental noblemen who pounce onus unawares!
I could write pages of affectionate warning on this one
theme,but (alas!) I am not permitted to improve – I am condemned tonarrate. My wealthy relative's cheque – henceforth,
the incubus of myexistence – warns me that I have not done
with this record ofviolence yet. We must leave Mr. Godfrey to
recover inNorthumberland Street, and must follow the proceedings of Mr. Lukerat a later period of the day.
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After leaving the bank, Mr. Luker had visited various parts
ofLondon on business errands. Returning to his own residence, hefound a letter waiting for him, which was described
as having beenleft a short time previously by a boy. In this case,
as in Mr.Godfrey's case, the handwriting was strange; but the
name mentionedwas the name of one of Mr. Luker's customers. His correspondentannounced (writing in the third person – apparently by the hand of adeputy) that he had been
unexpectedly summoned to London. He hadjust established
himself in lodgings in Alfred Place, TottenhamCourt Road;
and he desired to see Mr. Luker immediately, on thesubject of
a purchase which he contemplated making. The gentlemanwas an enthusiastic collector of Oriental antiquities, and had
beenfor many years a liberal patron of the establishment in
Lambeth.Oh, when shall we wean ourselves from the worship
of Mammon! Mr.Luker called a cab, and drove off instantly to
his liberalpatron.
Exactly what had happened to Mr. Godfrey in NorthumberlandStreet now happened to Mr. Luker in Alfred Place. Once
more therespectable man answered the door, and showed the
visitor up-stairsinto the back drawing-room. There, again, lay
the illuminatedmanuscript on a table. Mr. Luker's attention
was absorbed, as Mr.Godfrey's attention had been absorbed,
by this beautiful work ofIndian art. He too was aroused from
his studies by a tawny nakedarm round his throat, by a bandage over his eyes, and by a gag inhis mouth. He too was
thrown prostrate and searched to the skin. Alonger interval
had then elapsed than had passed in the experienceof Mr.
Godfrey; but it had ended as before, in the persons of thehouse suspecting something wrong, and going up-stairs to see
whathad happened. Precisely the same explanation which the
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WILKIE COLLINS
landlord inNorthumberland Street had given to Mr. Godfrey,
the landlord inAlfred Place now gave to Mr. Luker. Both had
been imposed on in thesame way by the plausible address and
well-fi lled purse of therespectable stranger, who introduced
himself as acting for hisforeign friends. The one point of difference between the two casesoccurred when the scattered
contents of Mr. Luker's pockets werebeing collected from the
fl oor. His watch and purse were safe, but(less fortunate than
Mr. Godfrey) one of the loose papers that hecarried about him
had been taken away. The paper in questionacknowledged
the receipt of a valuable of great price which Mr.Luker had
that day left in the care of his bankers. This documentwould
be useless for purposes of fraud, inasmuch as it providedthat
the valuable should only be given up on the personalapplication of the owner. As soon as he recovered himself, Mr.Luker
hurried to the bank, on the chance that the thieves who hadrobbed him might ignorantly present themselves with the receipt.Nothing had been seen of them when he arrived at the
establishment,and nothing was seen of them afterwards. Their
respectable Englishfriend had (in the opinion of the bankers)
looked the receipt overbefore they attempted to make use of it,
and had given them thenecessary warning in good time.
Information of both outrages was communicated to the
police, andthe needful investigations were pursued, I believe,
with greatenergy. The authorities held that a robbery had been
planned, oninsuffi cient information received by the thieves.
They had beenplainly not sure whether Mr. Luker had, or had
not, trusted thetransmission of his precious gem to another
person; and poor politeMr. Godfrey had paid the penalty of
having been seen accidentallyspeaking to him. Add to this,
that Mr. Godfrey's absence from ourMonday evening meet-
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ing had been occasioned by a consultation of theauthorities, at
which he was requested to assist – and all theexplanations required being now given, I may proceed with thesimpler story
of my own little personal experiences in MontaguSquare.
I was punctual to the luncheon hour on Tuesday. Reference to mydiary shows this to have been a chequered day –
much in it to bedevoutly regretted, much in it to be devoutly
thankful for.
Dear Aunt Verinder received me with her usual grace andkindness. But I noticed, after a little while, that something
waswrong. Certain anxious looks escaped my aunt, all of which
took thedirection of her daughter. I never see Rachel myself
withoutwondering how it can be that so insignifi cant-looking
a personshould be the child of such distinguished parents as
Sir John andLady Verinder. On this occasion, however, she
not onlydisappointed – she really shocked me. There was an
absence of alllady-like restraint in her language and manner
most painful to see.She was possessed by some feverish excitement which made herdistressingly loud when she laughed,
and sinfully wasteful andcapricious in what she ate and drank
at lunch. I felt deeply forher poor mother, even before the true
state of the case had beenconfi dentially made known to me.
Luncheon over, my aunt said: «Remember what the doctor
told you,Rachel, about quieting yourself with a book after taking yourmeals.»
«I'll go into the library, mamma,» she answered. «But if
Godfreycalls, mind I am told of it. I am dying for more news
of him, afterhis adventure in Northumberland Street.» She
kissed her mother onthe forehead, and looked my way. «Goodbye, Clack,» she said,carelessly. Her insolence roused no angry
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WILKIE COLLINS
feeling in me; I onlymade a private memorandum to pray for
her.
When we were left by ourselves, my aunt told me the
wholehorrible story of the Indian Diamond, which, I am happy
to know, itis not necessary to repeat here. She did not conceal
from me thatshe would have preferred keeping silence on the
subject. But whenher own servants all knew of the loss of the
Moonstone, and whensome of the circumstances had actually
found their way into thenewspapers – when strangers were
speculating whether there was anyconnection between what
had happened at Lady Verinder'scountry-house, and what had
happened in Northumberland Street andAlfred Place – concealment was not to be thought of; and perfectfrankness became a necessity as well as a virtue.
Some persons, hearing what I now heard, would have been
probablyoverwhelmed with astonishment. For my own part,
knowing Rachel'sspirit to have been essentially unregenerate
from her childhoodupwards, I was prepared for whatever my
aunt could tell me on thesubject of her daughter. It might have
gone on from bad to worsetill it ended in Murder; and I should
still have said to myself,The natural result! oh, dear, dear, the
natural result! The onething that DID shock me was the course
my aunt had taken under thecircumstances. Here surely was
a case for a clergyman, if everthere was one yet! Lady Verinder
had thought it a case for aphysician. All my poor aunt's early
life had been passed in herfather's godless household. The
natural result again! Oh, dear,dear, the natural result again!
«The doctors recommend plenty of exercise and amusement
forRachel, and strongly urge me to keep her mind as much as
possiblefrom dwelling on the past,» said Lady Verinder.
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